Coffee
by Kaiser Washington
Summary: Drab, rainy days tend to make you realize the value of small things, and that even people like Rukawa can make good companions. One-shot. Re-uploaded.


Kanagawa's weather that Sunday was ruled by the rain, which had begun pouring even before the sun had risen into the sky, and continued through the day and into the evening. Rainy days weren't particularly enjoyable for people like Akira Sendoh, who usually liked to spend their weekends down at the pier, fishing, or engaged in some other outdoor activity. The heavy rain was an obvious hindrance in his plans, and he was confined to his bedroom all day long, sometimes getting off the bed to check if it had stopped raining, and returning very soon in disappointment.

"I know. I'll make myself a cup of hot coffee," he said to himself, getting up for what he hoped was the final time that day, putting on his slippers and heading to the kitchen. "Making it should kill a good half-hour, and besides, I think the cold's getting to my throat."

On reaching the kitchen, he filled a pot with water, and placed it on the stove. Then he carefully poured half a cup of milk into a glass.

"And now for the coffee." He opened a cabinet, and reached out for the jar of coffee powder, and realized very shortly that it was empty.

He cursed. No coffee. What could he do now? He certainly didn't want to return to his bedroom. He had spent so much time in it that the very idea that he owned a bedroom made him feel depressed. And there was no point in hoping for the rain to magically stop and for the basketball court in the nearby park to suddenly become dry.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the milk boiling over, and he quickly turned off the burner. Now he had a pot full of hot milk, and no coffee to put into it. He sighed, and slumped into a kitchen chair, glancing hopefully at the wall clock in the process. It was only four o'clock. He couldn't even pretend to be tired and go to bed.

The absurd idea of phoning Rukawa, and asking if he had any coffee powder crossed his mind. He glanced at the clock again, and decided that it wasn't so absurd after all.

He waited patiently for Rukawa to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rukawa, I need a favor of you. I'm all out of coffee, so if you came down here with, say, a jar of coffee, then I wouldn't be out of coffee anymore."

"Sendoh?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you just buy yourself some coffee?"

"Uh, it's raining, if you haven't noticed – raining cats and dogs. I couldn't possibly go anywhere in this weather."

"Like I'm crazy about getting drenched."

"You don't get it, Rukawa. I have a" – snivel – "cold. If I went out, I would come down with pneumonia or something bad. It can kill. And besides," – cough – "my hair would be ruined." He said the last bit inarticulately.

He waited a few moments for Rukawa's reply.

"Okay," said Rukawa, enunciating every syllable. "I'll get you your coffee."

"That's great, Rukawa, I'll be—"

"BUT," said Rukawa, cutting Sendoh off, "I'm not doing it for free."

"What, you want money or something? I'll give you—" But Rukawa had already hung up.

_He's such an ass, _Sendoh thought darkly. _Thinking he can barge into my house and demand payment for a favor._

But, he admitted, you have to make the occasional compromise, if you want the good stuff in life. Coffee was his first priority at the moment, and any losses incurred in the process of obtaining it would count as nothing more than collateral damage.

The doorbell rang sooner than Sendoh had expected it. He jumped out of the couch as if someone had planted a strong foot on his backside, and rushed to the door.

"Hey, Rukawa."

Rukawa was dripping wet. He fixed Sendoh with an irritated look, and said sarcastically, "May I come inside?"

"Of course. That's why you're here, right?"

"Whatever," said Rukawa, striding in leisurely, dripping water all over the doormat. "Here's your coffee."

"Er, Rukawa," said Sendoh, staring uneasily at the small pool that was beginning to form around Rukawa's feet. "Maybe you should changed into something… drier."

Sendoh dragged him into his bedroom without waiting for a reply, shoved him into the bathroom, and tossed a fresh towel and fresh clothes – his clothes – in after him.

"Take your time, Rukawa. I'll get the coffee ready."

Sendoh went back into the kitchen with the coffee Rukawa had brought, and resumed making coffee at the point at which he had left off – this time, with aplomb.

He hummed a tune he had never heard before as he worked, expertly adding a measured amount of coffee into the pot, and stirring it, then adding a calculated amount of sugar. When satisfied that the drink was ready, he poured it into two porcelain cups.

"Coffee's ready!" he called out.

Rukawa emerged from the bedroom a short while later, dressed in Sendoh's clothes. He was visibly uncomfortable.

"Er," Sendoh said, regarding Rukawa from head to toe, and from toe to head, and finally deciding there wasn't anything obscenely wrong about how he looked. "Er, coffee's ready," Sendoh repeated, pointing at the cups on the table.

"And it's about time, too." Rukawa shuffled over the table – since Sendoh's jeans were a bit too long for him – and sat down.

"Here you go," said Sendoh, pushing one of the cups in Rukawa's direction while he pulled the other toward himself.

Rukawa raised the cup to his lips, but stopped. "This smells like… almonds."

Sendoh nodded.

"Nothing beats almonds with coffee. Try it. You'll love it."

He went into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a box that was presumably full of cookies.

"This box is full of cookies," Sendoh said, placing it at the center of the table. "Have one."

Rukawa stretched his hand out, picked up a cookie and took a bite out of it. Sendoh watched him, smiling.

"Aren't they great?"

Rukawa nodded.

"Did you bake them?"

Sendoh shook his head.

"Bought them."

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. So much fuss for cookies that he didn't even make? What, would Sendoh burst into tears, if Rukawa said the cookies were bad? Curiosity filled Rukawa.

"These cookies are awful," he said.

"Huh?" Sendoh looked taken aback.

"They can't be bad," Sendoh said defiantly. "_I_ bought them."

"It was a joke," said Rukawa, sensing that the conversation could develop into a full-fledged altercation, if taken any further.

Sendoh instantly relaxed.

"I knew you were kidding," said. "Because I have good taste in cookies. You probably didn't know that."

And Rukawa didn't believe it, either.

"But why do you care so much about them?" he asked in spite of himself.

Sendoh leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the table. Some of his characteristic levity seemed to leave him, and his face took on a distant, almost wistful expression.

"I guess it's because I never had anyone to share them with before."

An awkward silence followed.

Then Sendoh leaned back, and smiled. "So how did you like the coffee?"

"All right. The almonds weren't too bad."

Sendoh laughed.

"Well, Rukawa, thanks for coming over. It's always fun to have company on days like this."

"H'm..."

"Don't you think so, too?"

"Yeah… Well… I guess."

"We should do this more often."

"My place next time?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>AN: Originally published in 2009.


End file.
